Silence Follows the Storm
by PaintedViolin
Summary: It is a battle, a game, and they are but pawns. Lucius is ill-equipped to play the game as he sits behind the bars of his cell. Severus knows all too well how the game is played and knows the sacrifices that must be made along the way. Remus is an experienced player, but unprepared for the wild card. Not a slash, multiple POV, M for all manner of adult content. Please review.
1. Chapter 1: Rash Plans

**SEVERUS**

He raised a hand and knocked smartly on the oaken door to the headmaster's office but not two moments later Harry Potter opened the door. The boy blanched, took a step back, but then changed his mind and brushed past Severus in the doorway, hurrying down the spiral stone steps to return to his dormitory. Severus let himself in, shutting the door behind him and locking it for good measure.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk, stuffing objects into its many drawers as Severus approached.

"Good evening, Severus. I'm just tidying up after my lessons with Harry."

"And you still don't care to explain what these lessons are for-?"

"No, not yet, and hopefully not ever if all goes according to plan, but I don't wish to jinx myself, if you'll forgive the phrase."

Severus said nothing, waiting for introduction so that he could address his reason for coming so late.

"Was there something you wished to speak to me about that could not wait until morning?"

"Indeed. A matter concerning Lucius Malfoy."

"Ah, poor Lucius. The Ministry has informed me that unlike the other Death Eaters taken into custody that night in the Department of Mysteries, Lucius is the only one who screams in terror during his sleep. The others are simply maddened statues like dear Bellatrix."

"The Dark Lord has introduced a plan to draw attention away from the school. Much like the mass breakout nearly a year ago, he once again intends to spring his followers from Azkaban so that all available Aurors will be focused on the prison and recapturing those who manage to escape; meanwhile, a host of Death Eaters plan to take Hogsmeade and then march on the gates."

"This seems to be a bit rash, even for Voldemort."

"The Dark Lord assumes that you will suspect the breakout as a ruse and remain at the school, but he hopes that Draco will succeed by then," said Severus dryly.

"Then it is most definitely a plan destined to fail," said Dumbledore, his beard twitching, "for I have no intention of being killed by Draco or anyone else for that matter—at least, not yet. When is the plan set for?"

"The eleventh of March at nightfall."

"Well, we mustn't let on that we know about this, but what will Voldemort do once he discovers that I am alive and well on the eleventh of March at nightfall?"

"He will most likely call his Death Eaters to him and launch a full-scale attack on the school. By then he will have acquired more allies, not all of whom are human."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and combed his fingers thoughtfully through his beard. "When Draco fails to kill me, Voldemort will seize his mother and hold her captive until Draco comes to him and then he will most likely have them both killed or murder them to set an example. Lucius will be left in Azkaban before the dementors join Voldemort's ranks and it is highly likely that Voldemort will order a lieutenant to finish him once he has gained control."

" _Once_ he has gained control?" Severus repeated. "Do you intend to allow him to infiltrate the Ministry and take over the northern European branch of our world?"

"Of course I don't _intend_ for any such thing to happen, but it will because he is powerful and people are terrified. It is as it was before with such doubt hanging over our heads like the ceiling over the Great Hall. We do not have soldiers as Voldemort does, only workers who can be swayed to betray us if only to protect their families. Our greatest force is our students, but how many among them can duel to match the wandwork of a Death Eater? I doubt very much anyone under sixth year or who was never a member of Dumbledore's Army, and I don't intentionally speak in third person. I'm referring to—"

"I recall the name of Potter's rebellious gang of underage wizards, yes," said Severus. He placed his hands palms down on Dumbledore's desk and leaned closer to emphasize the words about to come. "The Dark Lord wishes to demonstrate his strength, intimidate you, and by attacking the school—if by some small stroke of luck, he does not manage to take it—he is openly showing himself to the public eye and parents will pull their children immediately. Then the Dark Lord will distribute his followers to pick and choose between victim or volunteer."

"Extreme, but still rash," Dumbledore observed. "He must be growing bored waiting for an old man to die."

"Not just awaiting your funeral, but also waiting for his followers whose loyalty still hangs in the balance to truly prove themselves. He has trusted me these last few years, but I have done nothing to erase all doubt in his mind; I can see it. I have not killed for him, nor have I risked harm to myself. I have only returned here to the comfort of Hogwarts. He will ask me to kill on his behalf once it all starts."

"Ah, this is the real issue you had, the real reason why you came to speak with me, is it not? Do you fear for your soul, Severus?"

"I am concerned about my acceptance into either fold. If I were to kill, it would be duly noted by the Dark Lord, yet my return to the civilized section of the wizarding world would see only a murderer, even if you vouch for me as you once did. People do not so easily forgive a man when he fouls up his second chance. But if I refuse to kill, the Dark Lord will find it all too easily to snuff out my life and continue about his day without a second thought. So explain to me, Dumbledore, how I am supposed to go about this next step. Suppose the residence I am sent to houses students who have attended this school under my tutelage?"

"As a caring professor myself, I find your concern for the students' well-being quite touching."

"As any professor worthy to teach at this school should, my first concern is only to ensure the survival of our youth to shape our future."

"You are clever, Severus, and extraordinarily talented in the art of deception. I know you will solve this puzzle in your own way."

Severus had to exercise great restraint to not roll his eyes as he would at perhaps Neville Longbottom after the boy melted his sixteenth cauldron. He stepped down, away from the desk when Dumbledore called him back.

"I realize that that is not the answer which you were hoping to receive, but you must trust me when I say that I know what I am doing. You must also trust me when I say that I cannot achieve any of this without you."

"You have something else to ask of me, then? More than what you've already asked for when I have so little to give."

"Oh, come now, Severus, you harbor much more within you than you do without. But in all seriousness, I must ask you if you would be willing to do something for me as a personal favor."

Severus said nothing, waiting for the question to fall before giving an answer he would regret.

"Before Voldemort is given the chance to break into Azkaban once again, I would like to have one individual removed."

"Lucius."

"I cannot vouch for him as I did for you; Lucius was caught in a forbidden department wearing Death Eater garb and he confessed to the attempted murder of six teenagers. The Ministry would never allow him to go free, so he must be sprung by an elite, covert group and put into hiding, protective custody, as it were."

"And where do you plan to hide him?"

"Them. I do this for Draco and his mother. The Malfoy family has fallen from grace and rightly so, but the taint of Voldemort has not yet corrupted their family. They fear him as they always have and Lucius cares more for his son than he does for staying in Voldemort's good graces. Therefore, I am asking you to help me stage this break-in. You and two others will snatch Lucius and I will contact Narcissa and have her leave immediately for a secret rendezvous where I will meet her with Draco. You and your companions will follow with Lucius and I alone will then escort the entire family to a hidden location."

"All of this for a boy who has openly expressed his loathing of you?" Snape queried.

"Draco has been raised on the ideals of his father who was raised on the ideals of his father before him. You see, Severus, bad parenting is one of the greatest sins of humankind. Of course, there are some exceptions—I might name a certain pupil of yours as well as that pupil's current Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Spare me the compliments, Dumbledore. When is this to take place and with whom will I be working?"

"Shortly after the New Year, once the students have returned to Hogwarts from holiday. Despite extreme measures to always be prepared on the job, Aurors do tend to drink one too many bottles of mead in the first week of January and they will not be up to their potential, so there is room to stage this small break-in. Voldemort will not be suspecting of it, and he will have no reason to if no one attempts to contact the Malfoys over Christmas break."

"Dumbledore, who are the other two burglars?"

"Remus Lupin and Alastor Moody."


	2. Chapter 2: Christmas Tidings

**REMUS**

"Of all places to meet, this is the worst," growled Mad-Eye as he peered up at the school between the boar statues flanking the gates.

"Dumbledore believed that calling us here during Slughorn's Christmas party would attract less suspicion since you and I are not favored by the Ministry anymore. Well, mainly me, but Kingsley is head of the department now," said Remus, tapping his wand just inside his sleeve with his forefinger to a nonexistent rhythm.

"It's just chits like Umbridge who bask in the screams of people they torture who have a problem with werewolves now, Remus. It's perfectly acceptable for you to be back here as much as it is for me. Hell, you taught here, didn't you?"

"I did," said Remus, watching a lantern bobbing closer as its carrier came up to the gate.

"Identification?"

"Remus Lupin and Alastor Moody here to attend Professor Slughorn's Christmas party," said Lupin swiftly.

"Password?"

For sending someone like Filch to answer at the gate, Dumbledore must have been quite confident in the protection he had set up around the school, but since Dumbledore was not here to question them, a password would have to do, though why the headmaster chose to have _this particular password_ , Remus had no idea.

Moody nudged Remus in the ribs, but Remus shot him a look of annoyance as if to say, _I'm not going to say it._

"Password, or you stand out here all night," said Filch with a nasty grin.

"It's a damn stupid password, that's why we haven't said it yet," Moody growled.

"Perhaps Dumbledore thought that Death Eaters wouldn't want to say it either," Remus suggested, but decided to be the responsible adult and said, "U-No-Poo."

Filch raised the lantern slightly higher to signal the Auror within the castle and the humming Remus had heard since coming to the gates stopped long enough for him and Moody to step through onto the grounds. The caretaker led them up to the grand double doors and to the marble staircase. The castle had been decorated for the holidays with the banisters festooned with holly and wreathes, the suits of armor sporting everlasting icicles, and mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.

Behind him on the stairs, Moody gave Remus a shove between the shoulder blades so that he was forced to lean sideways instead of walking straight up the staircase.

"Mind where you're stepping," said Moody as he limped past Remus. "If you land under any of those damn leaves, I'm not kissing you, and if you try to make a move on me, I'll hex you."

"You're in a festive mood tonight," said Remus with some amusement.

"We're going to a Christmas party, of course I'm festive," said Moody.

Filch led them to Slughorn's office which had live fairies glittering just outside the door. Inside, it looked like something out of a designer's shop for the most overzealous Christmas host ever. Students and semi-famous well-to-do's clogged the room so that many people were squeezing uncomfortably past each other just to get to the loo or take a breath of fresh air on the balcony.

"Shall we?" said Remus, ushering Moody in.

Though relatively unknown, Moody's peculiar and shocking appearance attracted attention almost immediately so that Remus felt as if they were suddenly standing in a spotlight until Horace Slughorn himself rescued them with a grand sweep of his arm. He beckoned them over to the fireplace where he was conversing with Harry Potter who looked almost as out-of-place as Remus felt, though he had successfully managed to contort his discomfort into a look of polite puzzlement just like his father had done so many times. Unlike James, though, Harry seemed to have mastered the act (most likely attributed to his unwanted fame).

"I believe you both know Mr. Potter here?" said Slughorn as Remus and Moody joined him. "You both taught him, isn't that right?"

"That was only Lupin. I was stuffed into a trunk for all of Potter's fourth year," said Moody warningly since it was a touchy subject. "Never got around to teaching him much, but I've met him once or twice."

Harry shook hands with both of them, but said nothing besides the formal hello since Slughorn was not to know of any of their involvement with the Order.

"Oh, Remus, you remember Severus, don't you? I taught the pair of you back in the day," said Slughorn genially, pulling Snape towards them as his other hand balanced a magnificent glass of spiced mead.

Moody rested his hands atop his staff and then planted his chin on top of them, staring with both eyes at Snape who reserved a look of contempt for him before acknowledging Remus. Apparently, Dumbledore had already spoken to Snape of their mission (the finer details of which were still unknown to Remus and Moody), for Snape had no scathing remarks to make about Remus for the first time since—ever.

"The two of you were some of the best pioneers in academic potion brewing, well, you and Lily Evans of course," said Slughorn fondly and though Harry accepted the compliment on his mother's behalf, Snape's face had suddenly darkened as if a shadow had been cast upon it.

"Oh, there's Garrick Boyle, manager for the international branches of Honeydukes. You know they're trying to set up another location in Winnipeg? Do excuse me, lads, but talk amongst yourselves and be merry!"

Slughorn departed to consult with his benefactors and with an awkward shrug, Harry slipped back into the crowd, leaving Remus, Moody, and Snape standing in an even more awkward silence.

"What time did he tell you?" asked Moody, both of his eyes still watching Snape.

"One," replied Snape curtly, glancing at the clock above the mantelpiece as if the party could not be over soon enough.

"And just what does he expect us to do for the next five hours, sip punch and stuff ourselves with h'ordeuvres?" asked Moody, snatching a bite-sized crab cake off of a servicer's platter, sniffing it, and swallowing the whole thing in one bite.

"Mingle and be merry, I would expect," said Remus.

"Us maybe, but who do you expect him to mingle with? The stuffed moose head over the piano?" Moody gestured at Snape whose eyes had narrowed with distaste now that Slughorn was gone.

"You have a very strange sense of humor, Moody," he drawled.

"And you have no sense of humor. You'd best be damn well merry, Snape, or people will start to wonder why two people on the same side are staring daggers at each other."

"The extent of my merriment lingers on the fact that I only need suffer through another week of holiday cheer before all talk of Christmas ceases until this time next year," said Snape.

"You're just a genuinely, all-around unlikeable git, aren't you?" said Moody.

Remus put his arm out to separate Moody and Snape and pointed to an Auror who was moving through the crowd towards them.

"He must be new, otherwise he would recognize one of us. Best to divert him before he starts asking questions," Remus suggested and Moody stomped off to not only alleviate the Auror's suspicions, but probably give him a few pointers on how to not get caught by his quarry.

"You've become quite the expert at diffusing situations, haven't you, Lupin?" asked Snape.

"I dislike conflict," said Remus modestly.

"Didn't seem to stop you from casually observing when your dearly departed companions were up to their usual misdeeds."

"Is this the time to discuss schoolboy bickering?"

"You must not be very keen on the subject since the last time it was brought up you ended up sprawled over and bound head to foot," said Snape nastily.

"As I recall, you ended up knocked unconscious by three teenagers," replied Remus despite himself. "But if we're going to insist on bringing up these old quarrels, we might as well go to Dumbledore and tell him that we've aborted the mission before we've even begun. Do you wish to tell him, or shall I?"

Snape had no time to reply as a head of subtle blue hair suddenly blocked Remus's vision. Tonks looked thinner than when Remus had last seen her, but her face was bright and cheerful as opposed to somber and ill-looking.

"Remus!" she said excitedly. "What are you doing here?"

"Dumbledore invited me. He thought that a change of scenery from my, ah, other occupation would do me some good," Remus invented. "Mad-Eye's here too."

"I've just spoken with him. He told me you were here."

Remus found Moody in the crowd and he shot him a look of annoyance to which Moody winked and returned to lecturing the Auror, but Remus knew the magical eye was still pointed his way.

"I'll get you something to drink, shall I?"

"Oh, no, Tonks, I—"

"He was sounding quite parched; a refreshment would be ideal," said Snape wryly and Remus had to wonder if Snape and Moody were working together to create an extremely discomfited evening for him.

Sidling back into the mass of strangers, Snape left Remus alone to await Tonks's reappearance with two goblets of some steaming purplish-brown liquid.

"Blueberry hot chocolate with a drop of firewhiskey," she said, clinking her goblet against his and motioning to the now unoccupied balcony. A light snow had begun to fall, but Slughorn had enchanted the balcony so that the snowflakes diverted. The view showed the frozen lake far below and on either side, the white-capped mountains.

"Hard to believe that there's so many forces trying to break through Dumbledore's defenses right now," said Tonks vacantly. "There aren't enough of us to protect the students if the defenses fail."

"They'll hold," said Remus, taking a cautious sip of his drink, inhaling the steam, and nearly suffocating as he tried to swallow back a cough. Eyes streaming, he turned away from Tonks and ran his sleeve over them.

"Remus, are you alright?" asked Tonks in concern.

"Oh, it's nothing; I swallowed too much and it went down the wrong tube," said Remus, allowing himself to bend over the balcony and heave. Tonks thumped him on the back and he was able to breathe, but he set the drink aside to be safe.

"I thought I'd bored you to tears for a moment," said Tonks when Remus's cough had subsided.

"My kind have that problem with tears. Only extreme physical pain can really bring out tears—or else a traumatic experience, but the latter sometimes takes weeks or even months to show. It was almost a year after my mother died that I was able to muster a single tear, though that might have been from getting hit in the head with a pan in the Hog's Head when the bartender swung at an old warlock who didn't adhere to the dress code."

Tonks chuckled, but her face was solemn as she took another gulp of her hot chocolate. After a moment in which Remus contemplated excusing himself to go get a glass of water, Tonks asked, "Do you miss him?"

Of course, there was only one person _him_ could be in this instance, but Remus took it to mean _them_. On Halloween fifteen years ago, he missed his friends, James Potter murdered, Sirius Black a convicted Death Eater and murderer, and Peter Pettigrew struck down by Sirius. He was alone for twelve incredibly difficult and long years, discovered a harsh reality in unveiling the truth, but found solace in the one friend he still had. Then, seven months ago, he found himself in the exact same situation: James Potter murdered, Peter Pettigrew a known Death Eater and attempted murderer, and Sirius Black struck down by Bellatrix Lestrange. Alone once again, the last of the marauders. Yet, he had not been able to shed a tear for any of them at any time and it was something he felt he desperately needed to do.

"Remus?"

Tonks was staring at him to the point where he wondered if perhaps he was turning purple from the chocolate.

"I do miss him," he said. "I just—can't quite convey it like normal humans do."

"There's nothing wrong with that."

"Not everyone would agree with you."

"Well, I don't care if everyone agrees with me or not. I can change my face to meet the wizarding society's standards, but how often do I do that? I don't give a damn what people think of me; you shouldn't either."

"I've been around long enough to have figured that out myself," said Remus slightly testily, unsure if he should be insulted or grateful for Tonks's comment.

"You know you can be honest with me, right? I'm your friend and I care about you."

"I'm aware."

"Right. Well…did Dumbledore really invite you, or does he have something else planned for you and Mad-Eye?"

Treading carefully so as to not hurt her feelings, Remus patted her shoulder in what he hoped was an understanding motion. "Dumbledore was concerned about me being out of contact for too long, so he pulled me out for the holidays. He's leaving it up to me whether or not I wish to go back when term resumes. As for Mad-Eye, I couldn't tell you because we only met at the gates."

"You're sure that's all?"

"You would know if there was more. I can't hide anything from you."

Tonks punched him playfully in the arm and Remus checked his watch, now of the same mind as Snape in hoping for the party to end quite soon.

/ /

"Lucius Malfoy," Moody repeated. "That bastard who helped kill Sirius. The man who used to be You-Know-Who's lieutenant—and you want to spring him because you're feeling guilty about his son. Have you lost your mind, Albus?"

"The _Daily Prophet_ used to preach about that very thing, but I believe I am still in possession of my mind, Alastor," said Dumbledore. "This is more than just ensuring the safety of a student; this is about giving a second chance to a family who still has the opportunity to choose the right side. Draco could be an asset in this war, but he needs his parents, especially his father."

"If it were a matter of saving Potter _again_ , I'd volunteer out front, but I despise that family almost as much as I despise this one," Moody gestured at Snape, "and I'm not about to risk getting my own cell in Azkaban for pure-blooded bigoted two-faced—"

"I would not have asked you three personally if I didn't think this to be crucial to winning the war, Alastor. Not every move of the chess pieces must involve Harry. We should be grateful that this particular strategy does not include putting him at risk. But Lucius can give us information that Voldemort passed on to him and Narcissa might be able to give us even more valuable information from her sister. As for Draco—"

"Where is he now?" asked Remus.

"In his dormitory, I should imagine," said Snape. "The train leaves in the morning and he will be on it."

"And you plan for us to go through with this once he has returned to the castle?"

"Yes. It would be much too difficult to protect him at home if Voldemort has taken up residence at his house. Contacting his mother will not be a problem, as my request will be sent through Severus."

"We've arrived back at him, have we?"

Dumbledore stood up from his desk, looking between Remus and Snape.

"I want your word that both of you will set aside your differences and forget the events that happened between the two of you at any point before this very moment. For the sake of innocent lives, I ask that you act as a team and not rivalries."

"Of course, Albus," said Remus.

Snape nodded.

"I trust that I don't have to ask the two of you to shake hands like I did with Sirius," said Dumbledore, though he seemed to be directing his comment towards Snape rather than Remus.

"They're adults, Albus. And they'll act like it during the entire breakout or I'll hex their genitalia."

"I don't require a babysitter, Moody," said Snape heatedly.

"Then act your age," Moody retorted.


	3. Chapter 3: The Cell

**LUCIUS**

"…and for these reasons, the Wizengamot finds the accused guilty as charged. Lucius Malfoy, for your actions as a so-called Death Eater on behalf of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, you are sentenced to life in Azkaban without the possibility of parole."

The gavel hammered down onto the podium and Rufus Scrimgeour motioned that the dementors were now free to escort Lucius back to his cell, his home from now until his death. The courtroom was nearly full because of Lucius's ranking among the wizarding community and he had been tried separately from the other Death Eaters due to his wife's persuasion, but it all amounted to nothing now that he was to spend the rest of his days as a prisoner.

He remembered seeing Narcissa's eyes bristling with tears, yet none fell as she watched her husband still with a neck brace stand shakily, his chains clinking together with every movement. He recalled his son's face, downcast as he refused to look his father in the eye for the last time. These were the last memories he would have of his family, the last happy thoughts he could cherish before he was left as an empty shell, a mere shadow of what he was before.

Lucius rubbed his calloused thumb over his chains for the thousandth time as he sat in his cell, listening to the other Death Eaters in the neighboring cells jeering at the dementors and vowing vengeance. Dolohov was actually singing somewhere to Lucius's left. At first, it had been nearly impossible to try and sleep with the racket of the dying and the desperate. Hundreds of souls cried out in the night and the Death Eaters mocked them for their fears. But Lucius had grown accustomed to the noise and found that he was able to block it out if he thought hard enough of home, of the comfort of his own bed, of Narcissa beside him.

Six months. The hearing had been six months ago if his suffering memory served correctly, and Yaxley reminded him every day because the man was a stickler for dates. Six months Lucius had slept with his head beside his toilet, eaten two slices of bread and a piece of mysterious meat twice a day, drank four cups of water to accompany the meals, awoken drenched in sweat from horrid nightmares, shouted out in pain when his body made an involuntary movement and upset his still healing neck. In Azkaban, any injuries received before entrance were not tended to with magic, only time, and Lucius had spent six long months living in pain from within and without.

No news reached them in here, yet as the days passed, Lucius felt a shift in the dementors' demeanor. They were growing anxious—if they could emote such a feeling—and the prisoners were feeling the effects because even the most rambunctious of the Death Eaters sat subdued in their cells for most of the hours of the day. For once Lucius could actually hear the ocean crashing against the prison far below him and it reminded him of how utterly alone and lost he was. It was no wonder that escape from Azkaban was impossible without help. He would know; he had assisted in the mass breakout a year ago. But the Dark Lord had demanded it because his most loyal followers were the ones behind bars at the time: Bellatrix, Dolohov, Rowle, the Carrows. Now, an odd mixture of both invaluable and worthless followers sat in their cells, awaiting the Dark Lord's rise so as to escape Azkaban (in some cases yet again).

Lucius wasn't sure if he preferred living out the remainder of his life behind bars and have the happiness sucked from his body until he simply shriveled up and died on the filthy floor or if he would want to suffer the Dark Lord's wrath once he was freed and made an example of for failing to retrieve the prophecy. If he could choose, Lucius wanted a quick, painless death in a swift beheading or a relatively fast-working poison, but neither of these options were available to him.

A rattling sound from outside his cell announced the dementors and the guards approaching with his evening meal, and though he knew he needed to get the food down to maintain some level of energy, Lucius felt that consuming food at this exact moment would make him vomit all over himself. He wasn't too keen on using some of his water supply to scrub out his clothes again either, so he left the meal at the catflap and tucked his hands deep into his armpits as he sat with his back resting against the far wall of his cell.

A small window near the top of the wall showed an overcast sky so that the stars were blotted out. A storm was coming and the nights would be even colder until it wore itself out. Lucius had come to hate clouds, even if it meant blistering hot days in the summer and stale air in the fall and spring because clouds obscured the constellations and Lucius had had time to memorize the sky in a way his great-grandmother would have been proud of. She had encouraged the study of astronomy and fully supported the tradition of having children in the Malfoy line have some manner of astrological name.

It was not for her Lucius studied the skies, though; it was to find the great dragon Draco and think of his son. Now that his happy memories were beginning to fade, Lucius felt himself clinging to the stars in the hopes that by finding them when he was weakest, he would be able to keep himself sane. The dementors could not take away his sight and so he clutched at the dragon overhead as if it were his life force. But on overcast nights, that life force was invisible and Lucius had to pull thoughts of his wife and son from deep within where he hoped the dementors could not access them.

"Pssst."

Lucius could tell that it was Nott whispering to him from across the way, but he had neither the strength nor the motivation to get up and go to the cell door to reply, so Nott raised his voice.

"Ministry officials came by a few days ago," said Nott and now that he was pressing his face between the bars, Lucius could see that he had developed a sort of infection in his teeth, making them appear black and broken. "Word is that the Dark Lord murdered a family whose children had come home from the holidays. He's either recruiting or on a killing spree because it's not the first time he's tried this in recent months. The Muggle-lover Dumbledore's been having students transferred back to Hogwarts via special Floo Network access all over the country."

"Doesn't matter if they're at the school or with their families," said Dolohov from Lucius's left and given that Nott looked over towards him, Lucius concluded that Dolohov might actually be his direct neighbor. "The Dark Lord'll slaughter their families while they're away and make 'em join or kill 'em when they come home."

"I heard more news," said Nott, ignoring Dolohov. "Minister himself visited your manor, Malfoy. It's all over the _Prophet_ ; they think Narcissa's acting on the Dark Lord's orders and they're trying to catch her at it."

Lucius sat forward at this news and receiving a painful crick in his neck. "The Dark Lord has no reason to speak with her."

"Most likely he's speaking to her concerning that boy've yours," said Dolohov with a burp. "Ain'tchoo 'eard? Draco's taken Daddy's place now; he's branded. The Dark Lord's got 'im doing whatnot up at the school, maybe trying to recruit from inside or have a stab at Dumbledore himself. Either way, Draco's not cut out for it. He ain't got the stomach for none've it. You raised a weakling, Lucius."

"You'll not talk about my son like that," said Lucius as viciously as he could, but Dolohov laughed so hard he started choking and after a moment of respite, he replied.

"Or you'll what, eh? You're locked up, same's me and your neck's broken in three places. Even if you could get out and 'ave a go at me right now, you'd be as useless as your boy."

"When I get out, I'll see to it that you eat your words, Dolohov. It's easy for a man of no honor and no title to mock a family of position. The Dark Lord chose you because you didn't possess the brains to say otherwise."

"And you didn't 'ave the balls. You're like a beaten dog, Lucius. The Dark Lord commands you to take a shit and you do it."

"Quiet up there!" shouted the guard and Lucius saw the glow of the guard's Patronus as it glided up the corridor.

"Piss off," said Dolohov, rattling his bars and whooping manically.

Lucius saw the guard appear, protected by a silver badger, and the man summoned a dementor to force Dolohov to the back of his cell. In a few moments, all was quiet and Nott had shrank away from his own cell door at the dementor's approach, so Lucius settled back into his sleeping position, shivering and wishing for a spark to ignite a fire. The chill was more than just the weather, though; was the Dark Lord really contacting his wife? Had he accepted Draco into the folds of loyal followers and ordered him to carry out deeds inside Hogwarts's walls? What if they were caught? Would they be able to convince the Ministry that they had been threatened, or would the fact that Lucius was already a known and convicted Death Eater convince the Wizengamot that the entire Malfoy family was guilty? Lucius refused to entertain the notion that his wife and son would ever have a cell in this god-forsaken place.


	4. Chapter 4: Ride Out the Storm

**SEVERUS**

"I really think there ought to be two of us to grab Malfoy," said Lupin for the eighth time.

"He doesn't trust us," said Moody with a roll of both normal and magical eye. "He'll see Snape and think the Dark Lord's sent someone to rescue him. If he sees you or me, he'll panic and that'll start a scene and we'll never get out of there. Just stick to the plan, Remus."

"I'm not saying it's not a good plan; I'm saying that Severus might need an extra hand if he's trying to grab Malfoy and the guards or dementors are coming at him from inside the fortress instead of just outside."

"We've got the outside; Snape shouldn't have a problem holding onto Malfoy's hand and shooing off any pests at the same time."

"I still think you can hold them by yourself out here while I go with Severus—"

"If I need help, I will ask for it," said Severus to shut both of them up. "Proceed, Moody."

As one, the three of them drew cloaks over their heads and hid their faces from view.

" _Expecto Patronum_ ," said Moody with hardly any effort, and an enormous silver grizzly bear emerged from his wand. Leading on his specially designed broomstick, Moody and his Patronus charged into the storm with Severus and Lupin tailing him at close range. Rain pelted Severus's face and he cast a spell to block the water from blinding him, but it was still incredibly difficult to see as lightning flashed around them, thunder rolled dangerously close by, and the clouds thickened with precipitation.

In moments which seemed like hours, they broke through the cloud cover and Moody's bear rammed into the first dementor circling high above Azkaban. As planned, Severus dropped, pointing his broom handle down at the prison while Lupin shot ahead towards Moody to assist in keeping the dementors at bay. Severus counted the unlit windows, doing a quick calculation in his head until he was just outside a cell at least thirty levels up. A dementor closed in on him from the right but with the thought of curtains of long red hair, he summoned his own Patronus and the doe chased the dementor off so that Severus could peer inside the barred window to see a ragged form lying on a cot.

Casting a spell which engulfed half of the cell in darkness, Severus blew a man-sized hole in the wall and from within Lucius Malfoy yelped, scrambling for cover. Severus maneuvered his broom into the cell and slid off, raising one hand calmly to address the prisoner who was clearly frightened out of his wits as his other removed the enchantment that hid his face from view.

"Lucius, you know me."

"Did the Dark Lord send you?"

"I've been sent by someone, yes."

"Does he have my family? Is he torturing them? Are they still alive?"

Severus could almost hear Moody somewhere out in the storm mumbling, _Get a move on_ as Lucius continued to back away from the hole in his cell.

"Your family is in protective custody. I am charged with bringing you to them so that you all may go into hiding together."

"Who has them?"

"That is not relevant."

"Is this a trick?"

"Lucius, you must stop asking questions and trust me."

"You said it would take thirty seconds," said Lupin as he arrived in midair beside Severus on his broom and removed his own enchanted mask.

"Lucius is proving to be—difficult."

"Why is he here?" asked Lucius, now pressed against his cell door in terror. "The Dark Lord is testing me, isn't he? He's had you all take Polyjuice Potion to disguise yourselves. He hopes that I will flee with the Order to save myself and then he'll kill my family—"

"Malfoy, if you want to see your family again, you need to get a hold of yourself and come with us now before we're blocked off," said Lupin impatiently, but Lucius was now fumbling at the keyhole in the door.

"Oy, what's goin' on in there?" cried the voice of Dolohov from somewhere on the other side of the obscuring black fog. "Hey! Something's happenin' in Malfoy's cell!"

Severus exchanged looks with Lupin, giving an indifferent shrug. "It would seem that Lucius has succumbed to the memory loss most prisoners suffer from. He may require persuasion."

"The guards will be coming any minute now; keep them off of me if they break through," said Lupin, hopping off of his broom and running to Lucius who gave a cry of panic and kicked out at him. As Lucius made to scream again, Lupin punched him in the face before muting him with a quick flick of his wand.

Severus dismounted his own broom and went to where Lupin was struggling to hold Lucius down, raising an eyebrow at Lupin as if to ask him why he chose Muggle confrontation.

"That was for Sirius," said Lupin.

"How very touching."

"Malfoy, if you kick me again, I'll break your nose. We're here to help you, damn it."

Severus saw that Lucius still had a neck brace on and muttered a quick spell to heal the broken bones before ripping the brace away and helping Lupin to drag Lucius to the brooms. Lucius stood at the edge of his cell, staring down into the storming sea as Lupin mounted his broom again and Severus swung a leg up over his own broom

" _Now,_ Lucius." Wincing as if he had been shocked, Lucius climbed onto Severus's broom, shivering, and placed his hands on Severus's shoulders. "Try not to panic, or I shall be forced to hex you."

"Stop!" cried a guard from behind and three dementors swarmed into the cell in front of him as the black fog gave way to the light of the guard's Patronus.

"I'll handle this; get him out of here," said Lupin as he cast his Patronus and a wolf grew from the tip of his wand to a size even bigger than Lupin when he was in wolf form. Unlike Lupin, however, this wolf was just that, a wolf, and there was no threat to it, no artificial shape of its body. The entire thing was furry and silver, yet Severus could not help but note how powerful it looked (whether this was a sign of Lupin's skill or simply the wolf's form was yet to be decided).

Severus kicked off from the cell floor and shot out into the storm. Instantly, Lucius's hold on his shoulders became tighter so that his fingernails pinched Severus's skin through his cloak, but Severus had to ignore this as he looked about for Moody's Patronus. He shot toward it, bending low over his broom handle. The rain pelted his face, blinding him to the barely discernible path through the dementors ahead, so he quickly performed the spell to clear his vision, but as he did so, his broom handle began to ice over under his grip.

The strength of Moody's Patronus, as powerful as it was, was not enough to blot out the steely grip the dementors cast elsewhere, and in order to get through to Moody, Severus would have to summon his own Patronus. Even as he pointed his wand to cast it, though, an enormous wolf figure mowed down the dementors in his path as Lupin arrived in the air beside Severus and Lucius, clearing the way to Moody. He shouted something to Severus, but over the noise of the storm, Severus could not hear his words, so Lupin gestured over his shoulder and Severus saw four figures on brooms gaining on them.

The wizards braved the storm to put Lucius back into his cell because they believed that Severus, Lupin, and Moody were loyal Death Eaters come to spring him from prison, but Severus could not very well reveal their true intentions. He sent a spell back over his shoulder, but did not wait to see if it made contact with his pursuers. Lupin's broom put on a burst of speed, cut in front of Severus, and doubled back, confronting the wizards on his own.

Unable to help himself, Severus glanced back in time to see Lupin simultaneously disarm three of the wizards before the fourth shot a spell straight at Lupin who took it to his chest. His broom continued forward without him and Lupin fell.

Suspended in midair, Severus saw Lupin plummeting down, down, down toward the unforgiving sea below and a small part of him wanted to have the satisfaction of watching Lupin's form crumple and be consumed by the waves. He wanted to watch the end of at least one of his childhood tormentors—but no, that wasn't the proper word. Of the four of them, Lupin had never actually raised a wand to him. Potter, Black, and Pettigrew had all relished his pain and humiliation, but Lupin never joined in. He never shared his friends' twisted sense of humor.

And Severus did not kill needlessly. He only allowed death to happen if there was no conceivable way to rescue the victim. He had a chance here and despite his childhood self telling him to let Lupin go to his watery grave, Severus knew that Lupin would not have let _him_ fall to his death.

So he tilted the broom handle downward and shot for Lupin's body which moved in the air as if he were performing an intricate dance of death. As he zipped past Lupin's body to get below him and try to catch him, he knew that his broom wouldn't support the weight of three grown men, and so he called out a command to Lucius, struggling to be heard over the storm.

"On my mark, take hold of the broom handle and keep it steady. I will be back for you."

Still muted by Lupin's hex, Lucius could only widen his eyes in fear and shake his head in protest, but Severus ignored him, preparing for his risky plan. Trying to time it perfectly, he suddenly launched himself from the broom, calling on the aid of the difficult magic he had learned from the Dark Lord long ago. He was flying on his own, upright and focused on Lupin's body as it neared the waves until he could get right beneath his companion.

" _Arresto Momentum_ ," he cried, pointing his wand at Lupin and the latter's body slowed all at once before coming to a complete halt just above Severus.

Lucius maneuvered his broom down beside Severus, eyes widened in awe at this new form of magic, but he reached out and took hold of Lupin's wrist just as an enormous silver bear announced Moody's arrival. Moody pulled Lupin onto his broom without question, but reserved a scathing look in Severus's direction, most likely due to his ability to fly. Severus wasn't perturbed in the least; Moody could be as prejudiced as he liked against dark magic, but even he couldn't deny that it had just saved Lupin's life.

Severus motioned for Lucius to come closer and then mounted the broom, shooting off in pursuit of Moody who led the way back into the sky, hidden from Azkaban by the storm.

/ /

Dumbledore was late, but Severus didn't let that bother him, for Dumbledore showed up when he wanted and nearly always had a more than reasonable excuse for his tardiness. Given that he was extracting Narcissa Malfoy from right under the Dark Lord's nose and sneaking Draco out of Hogwarts, Dumbledore had plenty of reasons to be late, but Severus had to deal with Moody making threats to Lucius while they waited.

"I've got half a mind to turn your fingers into flobberworms," said Moody, magical eye darting around various parts of Lucius's body as if trying to find the best spot to hex.

"And you're welcome to after you've given me a wand to fight back in a fair fight if you're man enough," said Lucius in a stronger voice than the terrified tone he had adopted in his cell. When Severus had lifted the spell to allow Lucius to speak again, he had demanded that Severus provide him with the detailed truth and though Severus obliged him, he was obviously still of a doubting mind and continued to question why Lupin and Moody had accompanied them. His interrogation had prompted Moody to start a verbal battle and Severus was quickly growing tired of their bickering.

"You've got no business talking about fair fights when you've got the Dark Mark branded into your skin. Your master doesn't deal in any type of equality," snapped Moody. "But if you want a fair fight we can do that. I'll put my wand away and punch you in the nose. You wouldn't last ten seconds in a fist fight, Malfoy."

Scoffing, Lucius nevertheless eyed Moody's gnarled hands. "A muggle fight, you mean. Barbaric."

"Being a muggle fight won't stop it from meaning that I'll knock you flat on your arse—"

"Mad-Eye, would it be possible for you to hush up for just a few minutes?" asked Lupin from the ground beside Mad-Eye. His hands were clasped over his mouth and nose, most likely attempting to nurse his headache and nausea that followed the curse he had taken to the chest. Severus had revived him when they arrived at the rendezvous point, but until now, he had sat silently.

"I can agree to that sentiment," said Lucius.

"Now, you look here, Malfoy, I battled you in the Department of Mysteries and if I had it my way, you'd rot in Azkaban, but I trust Dumbledore and I want to see the Dark Lord fall, so if Dumbledore says you're essential to that, I have to drag your cowardly arse off to safety. If we'd wanted you dead, we would have left you to the dementors; nothing we can do to torture you will ever be as bad as that place."

Moody brandished his wand and Lucius looked like being hexed by the Auror would be a reasonable price to pay for continuing to ask questions. Luckily, no such altercation occurred as with a loud _pop_ , Dumbledore himself appeared with both Narcissa and Draco Malfoy holding onto his arms. At the sight of Lucius, both of them gave strangled sobs and ran to him, embracing him through tears. The whole world might have fallen away at that moment and the Malfoys would not have noticed.

Lucius had no tears to shed, but his face displayed a man who had nearly reached his breaking point as he allowed his wife to bury her face in his chest. Draco was clinging to his shoulder, determined never to let his father go.

Dumbledore beamed at Severus, Lupin, and Moody as the Malfoy family continued their reunion, but when enough time had elapsed to make the silent situation somewhat uncomfortable, the headmaster cleared his throat and the Malfoys broke apart. Despite the fact that Dumbledore himself had brought the family together, Severus noted how Lucius pushed Narcissa behind him. However gutless Lucius was in the face of the Dark Lord, Severus was properly surprised at this display of courage from the man. Wandless, he still intended to defend Narcissa from any harm to come, though the fact that he expected any to come showed his ineptitude.

Most surprising of all, though, was Draco who gripped his wand in his dominant hand and stepped in front of his father to face Dumbledore. It was the same type of dumb bravery Potter possessed that Severus absolutely loathed.

"I think we are past doubting my intentions with your family," said Dumbledore sternly. "If I had wanted any harm to come to any of you, I would have allowed it to occur naturally at the hands of Voldemort. I have brought you together so that I might escort the three of you to safety. Your location shall only be known to myself for the time being unless I find it crucial that someone else knows of it and in that instance, you can most likely expect one of the gentlemen behind me."

Narcissa and Draco seemed to notice Severus, Lupin, and Moody for the first time and Severus was pleased to see the relief flood over Narcissa's face as well as the shame on Draco's. Mouthing a thank you to him, Narcissa sent her gratitude for protecting her son while Draco hung his head after the last words he and Severus had exchanged. Their reaction to Severus's companions was another story, but Lucius would surely fill them in on how Lupin and Moody were undeniably part of the reason he had made it safely back to them.

"I would not go as far as to say that they are heroes," continued Dumbledore, "But you may view them as such for reuniting your family. Their loyalty to me is unwavering and you can rest assured that they will assist me in keeping you safe. At great personal risk, they agreed to liberate Lucius from Azkaban, so I would ask that you show nothing but the utmost respect for them."

Moody was responsible for putting Lucius's fellow Death Eaters in Azkaban and part of the reason Lucius ended up there himself. Lupin was a werewolf not under Fenrir Greyback's command and therefore an enemy to Voldemort's cause. Both were known members of the Order of the Phoenix. As was Severus. Dumbledore was asking for a miracle in having the deeply prejudiced and judgmental Malfoy family accept an Auror and a werewolf as allies, but not for the first time that night, Lucius surprised him.

He held out his hand to Lupin.

With the glee of a child on his face, Dumbledore stepped aside so that Lupin could come forward to accept Lucius's handshake, but Lupin hesitated and Severus knew why. Lucius had led the Death Eaters that night in the Department of Mysteries. He had followed orders from the Dark Lord to kill and he had taken Bellatrix Lestrange with him. Bellatrix then proceeded to murder Sirius Black, Lupin's last living good friend. Severus realized that the bigger miracle to ask for was for Lupin to accept Lucius's acceptance of _him_.

But Lupin was a bigger, better man than his friends had ever been, for he came forward and grasped Lucius's hand, not fleetingly as Severus and Black had two years ago, but in a strong grip that seemed to make Dumbledore proud. Moody only granted the Malfoy family a curt nod and when it came time for Severus to show that he held no animosity toward the blonde family, he felt his head barely move up and down.

"If you are ready, then, I will take you to your safehouse," said Dumbledore.

Grasping his wife's hand and gripping Draco's sleeve in the other, Lucius started forward slightly. "I am…not in the habit of accepting such hospitality, Dumbledore."

"It's not hospitality, my dear Lucius, it's humanity. I ask only that you remember the men who put their lives on the line so that you may be reunited without fear. Should you ever be tempted to return to Voldemort, I ask that you remember what was sacrificed for you, for I can assure you that a third chance for your family will not be granted. I see hope for you all, but fear has a way of destroying that hope. I will nurture hope forever, but only you can decide if you wish to conquer it and forever leave Voldemort's bondage."

Lucius nodded fervently and Dumbledore clapped him on the shoulder before turning back to Severus and the other two.

"In the near future, I will require your further services, Severus, and if you would be willing, Remus and Alastor, I would ask the same of you."

"You know I'm willing to do almost anything, Albus. You know how you can contact me."

"Anything I can do to help, you can rely on me, Albus," said Lupin.

"Splendid. Well, then, I think it high time I transported you to a place where you might actually have a decent night's sleep. If you'll take my arm…"

The Malfoy's all took a fistful of Dumbledore's sleeve and with another loud _pop_ , they disappeared.

In the wake of Dumbledore and the Malfoy's Disapparation, Moody spat on the ground with a grunt that sounded suspiciously like, "Not worth a puddle of piss," before giving Severus and Lupin a farewell jerk of his head and Disapparating himself.

On the verge of taking off to return to his position at Hogwarts and await an inevitable summon from the Dark Lord, Severus saw that Lupin was looking quite uncomfortable, fiddling with a loose button on his cloak. Severus knew what was coming and found that he couldn't stand the thought of hearing it.

"Try to not fly straight into a knockback curse next time," he told Lupin.

"Flying was not one of my better subjects in school," said Lupin. "Adding in a storm of rain and dementors just made the situation as worse as it possibly could have gotten."

"You're less like your companions than I originally thought. Both of them relished in constantly reminding me how superior their flying skills were to mine. But I did manage to fly without a broomstick, which is something I don't believe either of them managed to accomplish."

"There were three of them," Lupin reminded him.

"I do not consider Pettigrew part of your posse when it comes to talents."

"I try not to either." Lupin shook his head to collect his thoughts and with as much sincerity as Severus had ever seen on his face, continued. "Severus, regardless of whether or not you want to hear it, you have my thanks. I don't know why you did it, but I'm glad you did."

Severus couldn't bring himself to recognize Lupin's gratitude with words, so he merely nodded once and with a turn of his cloak, vanished into the night while it lingered.


	5. Chapter 5: Mind Over Magic

**REMUS**

The services Dumbledore requested from Remus came not one week following the breakout. The _Daily Prophet_ highlighted the news of Lucius being liberated from Azkaban and Severus had supposedly deflected any questioning Voldemort had regarding the Malfoy family, but Dumbledore still called upon Remus to become the first visitor to the new Malfoy residence. Being the Secret-Keeper, Dumbledore had revealed the location to Remus only after Remus agreed to oversee a series of what would undoubtedly be tedious lessons on how to build up Lucius's magical defenses.

In addition to his served sentence weakening him during his prolonged stay, Lucius was not an adept wizard by any means and Dumbledore insisted that he, far more than Draco, be instructed on more battering dueling. The headmaster still would not reveal what importance Draco would be to the cause, but whatever the young man would be doing did not seem to be nearly as dangerous as what Dumbledore predicted Lucius would be doing.

It was an appalling thing to do, helping the Malfoy family, and Remus felt sullied for doing it, not that he could very well tell Dumbledore after he had already agreed to be of any assistance he could. He was therefore determined to hate every second of it.

And so with a gift to Lucius stowed in his pocket, Remus Apparated to a secluded cottage hidden away in a lush, wild stretch of land that extended in all directions into the Scottish glens. No doubt Dumbledore would have secured the wards protecting the cottage himself to alert the Malfoys to anyone's approach, and he was not disappointed as he saw the cottage door open and a pale face appear in the doorway.

"Who sent you?" called Lucius's voice in a slight tremble.

"I come at the behest of Albus Dumbledore, though I would say that if I were one of your former dedicated companions coming to return you to Voldemort. Just ask me the question, Malfoy," Remus called back.

"Dumbledore's parting words before he left my family protected here were what?"

"Your son's poor choice in friends reflects your own and that is something I plan to remedy," Remus replied. "Satisfied?"

He expected Lucius to walk out grudgingly and meet him. He was not expecting Lucius Malfoy to walk out of the cabin with brown hair. And furthermore, he had put on some weight so that his sunken face looked fuller, healthier. His prison garb was gone, replaced with muggle clothing in the form of black jeans and a wooly grey pullover, and if Remus looked closely enough, he could see a glamour placed on Lucius's face so that his nose appeared shorter, his eyes set closer, his lower lip jutting out. Remus had to hand it to Dumbledore; the man had thought of everything.

Lucius, however, seemed less than pleased with his current lot in life, but if the worst his circumstances provided was dyed hair and muggle clothing, he wasn't doing half bad. Still, he seemed to find something to complain about as he strode awkwardly out to meet Remus at the threshold of the territory so that a bridge crossing over a babbling brook separated them.

" _How_ any human being can move comfortably in clothes like these is beyond me."

"I find it hard to believe that you've never worn anything as simple as jeans."

"They ride up in the most uncomfortable sort of places and limit my movements."

"You'll earn no sympathy from me. If you had spent any time outside of the wizarding world, you would have acquired a better understanding of muggle outerwear, but that's all beside the point. I'm here to check in on you as well as deliver some much needed supplies per Dumbledore's request."

"We have everything we need at the moment," said Lucius shortly and Remus noted how the man had tried to subtly move in front of the bridge so that Remus could not cross it. The notion angered Remus.

"You still doubt that I'm here to actually help you after all of that business with falling from my broom in an effort to rescue you. I'm going to ask you to stand aside and if you don't move, I'm going to make you."

"You and Moody are perfect partners for one another, threatening a wandless man as he attempts to shield his family from—"

"I don't need a wand to hit you in the face like I did the last time I saw you, Malfoy. Unlike you, I found muggle altercation worth learning in the event that I misplace my wand or have it taken from me. But if you can't even throw a proper punch, I'll have to add that to the long list of tasks Dumbledore has invented for you during your stay here. Now that you've made a full recovery, you can begin your training to not only close your mind to Voldemort, but also to invade the minds of others, among other things."

"For that, I would require a wand, and seeing as how mine was confiscated by the Ministry and Ollivander has taken a leave of absence from Diagon Alley, I appear to be out of luck."

"True, but Dumbledore went to great pains to have another wandmaker craft this for you."

Remus presented Lucius with a long, folded piece of fabric. Lucius took it and unveiled an ashen-brown wand that emitted a wisp of smoke at his touch. A light returned to Lucius's eyes just then, one that had been absent since Remus had first seen him in his prison cell. The life that Azkaban had drained from him came back in the form of wielding a wand.

"I believe it's European make, though Dumbledore wouldn't give me the wandmaker's name. Larch, eleven and a half inches, dragon heartstring core and apparently fluid."

Struggling to find words and appearing as if he was chewing his own mouth, Lucius stuttered out, "Tell Dumbledore that I…tell him I…please relay my—"

"I will," said Remus curtly. "Now after you've _let me cross_ , I'll ensure that everything is in order before Severus arrives."

"The both of you? What for?"

"Severus will be paying weekly visits to teach you how to close your mind to Voldemort."

"If the Dark Lord wishes to know my thoughts, he finds a way in. I'm powerless to stop him—"

"Because you have weak defenses and have never been taught how to build up inner walls to keep prying eyes and minds out. Dumbledore believes that this is a necessary skill for you to learn in case you are unlucky enough to find yourself in Voldemort's company again. Therefore, Severus will be overseeing your lessons while I merely observe for a few sessions until it is my turn to teach you how to cast a Patronus charm."

"Death Eaters cannot cast the charm," said Lucius in a deadpan gaze. "A fitting setback, seeing as how we—they ally themselves with the dementors."

"Severus can cast the charm and has been able to since he learned it some sixteen years ago," said Remus, untroubled. "And he has more reason than most to find trouble doing so. Once we see what it is you truly fear, we'll be able to extract the spell from within you. But for that we will be needing Severus's assistance if I'm not mistaken—"

They heard the telltale _pop_ of an Apparation and saw Snape appear several feet behind Remus, his billowing black robes coming to a rest at his sides. At the sight of Remus, Snape made a quick flick of his wand and Remus heard an annoying buzzing sound fill his ears, making him deaf to the question Lucius asked of Severus so as to ensure that Remus would not know it. An irksome precaution, but necessary all the same. Once Snape had disabled the spell, he stowed his wand in his sleeve and made a curt gesture at the cottage.

"I haven't been in to check that things are in order yet," said Remus with an annoyed half-glance at Lucius, "Because Lucius is insisting that I do not enter."

Snape strode forward, his robes whispering across Remus's boots as he crossed the bridge without incident or comment from Lucius and Remus felt a minor stab of irritation that Lucius did not object to Snape intruding on him so much as he minded Remus's presence. Following in their wake, Remus let himself in behind them as they entered the cottage to find Narcissa and Draco sitting at the enclosed kitchen table.

"Forgive me this intrusion, Narcissa, but Dumbledore has asked us—that is, Lupin and myself—here to put Lucius through a series of instructive courses on how to better his magic in preparation for what is to come," said Snape without standing on ceremony.

"What is to come?" Lucius repeated.

"As Lupin should already have informed you, Dumbledore is not so naïve as to think that you will never stray across the Dark Lord's path again, and he has therefore seen fit to provide you with two tutors who will assist you in your wandwork as well as your mental defenses. This tutelage shall continue for as long as Dumbledore deems necessary, so you can expect weekly visits from the both of us and you are never to desist in asking the necessary question to ensure that it is us, is that understood?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then step outside. Our lesson today will require much space, so I will reset the wards once we leave the property and your wife and son will remain here until our return."

"I wanted to come watch," said Draco boldly. "I want to learn—"

"This is not something Dumbledore requires you to know at the present time, Draco, and you shall therefore remain here as I have instructed. If you wish to occupy yourself with a skill worth learning, I suggest relaxing your facial muscles under strain and interrogation. Lucius, then, if you will."

Snape more or less steered Lucius towards the door, but paused to call back over his shoulder at Narcissa and Draco, "You will remain here and know this; what you may hear is not real."

With that, he led Lucius from the cottage, casting shields and spells to hide the place from sight and sound as they crossed back over the bridge and out into the glen. They had hiked a fair mile and a half before Snape seemed satisfied with the distance and turned, wand out, back to Lucius.

"What I did not say in front of your wife and son is that Dumbledore hopes that you will graduate from mediocre wandwork to the status of a dueling master, otherwise you have no hope of defending yourself or your family from the Dark Lord's wrath. Your rebuttal towards the Order in the Department of Mysteries was most inadequate and embarrassing for one who calls himself a servant of the Dark Lord, Lucius. I can promise you that I will not be lenient with you, nor will I have the patience to listen to any whinging you may have about my methods. I am not here to coddle you or express sympathy for your plight, only to groom you into the best model of mental discipline I can achieve. Strive for excellence and nothing less, or you shall receive no reward for your efforts."

Lucius gaped at Snape's harsh criticizing tone and Remus suspected that as old of friends the two were, Snape had never spoken so lowly of Lucius. But Snape was right; Lucius was easily outmatched by Sirius at the Ministry and Sirius had been out of practice for thirteen years. It was only the sheer number of Death Eaters that had had the Order scrambling for victory, but Remus had seen Lucius's skill firsthand and was less than impressed. Against six teenagers, he appeared to be more than a match, but Mad-Eye had later referred to Lucius's wandwaving as, "ninny swishing", and at this recollection, Remus had to suppress a grin.

"Prepare yourself. I am about to enter your mind and you will attempt to force me out, however necessary, so that I may see how you respond to an attack. You are familiar with the process, I presume?"

"Yes, but—"

" _Legilimens!"_

Lucius never even got to raise his wand. Remus watched his eyes gloss over in a blank stare as Snape leafed through his thoughts, memories, and emotions at his leisure. He didn't want to know exactly what Snape was searching for, if anything, but he did suspect that Snape wasn't even exerting the full force of the spell on Lucius. Nonetheless, Lucius was already exhibiting signs of strain as sweat prickled down his forehead and his expression turned to one of strained concentration.

He swayed and fell headlong into a manmade well, knocking his temple against the stone basin. Snape pulled back his mental attack and crossed his arms, displeased at the results.

"What—happened?" asked Lucius as his eyes returned to focus.

"You realized what he was doing and had started to attempt a rebuttal, but you fell," answered Remus.

"That was _an_ attempt and I need hardly add that it was lacking in effort."

"You attacked my mind without warning," Lucius protested, nursing his head where a lump was already beginning to form.

"Do you expect the Dark Lord to inform you of when he is about to penetrate your mind? You are an easy target, malleable and susceptible to his every whim because of how open and unguarded your thoughts are. He can read you without delving into your mind as easily as a muggle could interpret the expressions on your face and I would even go as far as to venture a guess that a blind man could read you with equal ease. Nothing is sacred to you, Lucius, and so I fear that we have a terribly long and difficult road ahead of us if you are to stand the slightest chance of holding back the Dark Lord."

"Exactly the sort of motivation he needs, Severus," said Remus with a roll of his eyes.

Ignoring him, Snape continued to berate Lucius. "Your mind must be prepared to multitask and you must be ready to cast up your defenses without a moment's notice. Not only in mind, but in body as well. You must be completely blank, devoid of expression so that the Dark Lord cannot read a single solitary thing about you. Not your body language, your eyes, your breathing—nothing. He must think that you are letting him in by feeding him false information, these untrue memories we will give you. You will recall these lies to mind when and if he questions you and it is these that you must surrender to him whilst keeping your true memories hidden."

Seeing that Lucius was well and thoroughly confused, Remus interceded. "Severus and I will feed you false information to make it look like a true memory and we'll train you to put those false memories in place for when Voldemort is attempting to read your mind. Your real memories will be hidden—assuming that you can learn how to do such a thing."

"What would be your definition of a false memory?" asked Lucius.

"You were brought here mostly unscathed and have been treated with the utmost respect, something you could not expect of a hostage in the Dark Lord's care. If he were to discover the part I played in helping liberate you from Azkaban as well as Dumbledore's involvement and the Order's, my position would be compromised, as would Dumbledore's plans. I will attempt to create a scenario in which you and your family are handled brutally as if you were prisoners and not guests in protective custody. You will be able to view these false memories at your leisure while keeping the real ones, but you must be able to call upon the false ones in the presence of the Dark Lord."

"I hope you're not expecting this of me in the first session," said Lucius reasonably.

"If you aim for anything less than perfection, you are already losing your battle, as I have told you already, Lucius. Again."

Lucius was still nursing his head when Snape broke into his mind and it had only been a few moments when he waved his wand insistently with only a tendril of smoke as the result, pleading, "Stop it, _stop!_ " to Snape.

"What's wrong?" asked Remus, wondering what memory Lucius could possibly have that tormented him enough to not want Snape anywhere near it.

"A relapse," said Snape without sympathy. "I drew up his memories of Azkaban, but it seems that he has allowed himself to panic in the presence of them." Shaking his head at Lucius, Snape urged him to regain his composure. "True horrors do not and have not existed for you, Lucius. Your suffering pales in comparison to that of others, many of whom were subjected to them by your hand. Do try to keep up."

Remus never expected to sympathize with Lucius Malfoy after his involvement in Sirius's death, but gazing upon him now on his hands and knees with his wand bunched into his fist as tears ran down his face and his shoulders quivered in recollection of his sentence in Azkaban, Remus felt compassion stirring within him. Lucius could have said no, could have refused Dumbledore's help or refused to partake in these lessons with Snape, but he knew that his mind was weak and was doing his best to overcome his fear in order to strengthen the walls within him.

And Snape's constant ridicule was not helping in the slightest.

"Again, and if you attempt to shout your way out of it this time, I shall only linger on those memories you wish to not relive. Do not make me instruct you on how to close your mouth as well."

"Wait—"

Remus felt himself wince for Lucius as Snape's attack hit him again and he struggled to remain on his feet.

"You know what is at stake here, Lucius, yet even that does not help you show any improvement. The more you simply fight, the more painful it is."

"I'm trying," said Lucius earnestly.

"Then show me and stop telling me."

"I can't—"

"Perhaps if I were to bring your family out here—"

" _No!_ "

Lucius broke free from the spell and an angry red vine spurted from the tip of his wand, searing across the skin on Snape's wand hand. Snape drew his hand back, waving it with a soft curse under his breath. Casting a cooling charm on the burnt skin, he nodded.

"That was an improvement, however small. You reacted to a threat, but it was in the form of anger and anger marks a loss of control. If the Dark Lord terrorized your family and you reacted thus, you know the consequences. I want you to be able to hear someone tormenting your family and accept it calmly while maintaining focus on the task at hand. I want your face to be the epitome of weakness when you are delivering false memories to the Dark Lord."

"That's not going to happen if you threaten my family again," said Lucius dangerously.

"If you insist on letting your love for your family be ever-present on your face, you are going to lose them much sooner than you would like."

Lucius started forward, but Snape was ready for him.

" _Legilimens!_ "

Stopped mid-stride, Lucius's brow turned down in concentration, but the sweat on his forehead increased under the strain. He had his wand pointed at Snape, but his grip was lax and he looked to be in a painful trance. Then, his eyes grew wide and he recoiled as if he had been electrocuted. His face screwed up in terror and he dropped his wand, clasping his hands over his eyes as he screamed.

Snape continued to invade his mind, his face blank as he watched Lucius writhe on the ground. There was no change in him; he might have been watching flobberworms mingle.

Remus cast a shield between the two of them and Lucius rolled over, gasping as Snape took a step back, thrown off balance by Remus's protection.

"Why did you intervene?" Snape asked mildly.

"You're torturing him, or do you not know the difference between that and teaching? He's clearly in pain, but you kept going. Dumbledore instructed you to train him, not break him."

"Sometimes, in order to achieve the desired outcome, one must lead to another," said Snape dismissively.

"Then I'll go straight back to Dumbledore and tell him that Malfoy needs a new teacher," Remus countered. "I don't expect you to be sympathetic with him, but don't be cruel, however difficult that may be for you."

"That is not your call to make. Dumbledore insists that he learn and he has agreed to comply, unless that is, Lucius, you do not wish to proceed?"

Lucius pulled up grass between his fingertips as he remained hunched over. He wiped his sleeve over his face and stood back up, determined. He jerked his head to the side to ask Remus to step out of the way, which Remus did, but he was reluctant to allow Snape another go at Lucius's mind when it was already so fragile before taking multiple hits from Snape's attack.

"Once again then, Lucius."

By some miracle, it seemed that this time Lucius was ready for him and his eyes went in and out of focus for a few tense moments before he shot a spell at Snape. The blue knockback jinx rebounded as Snape sent it back at its caster and Lucius took it to the chest, flying an admirable distance of eight feet before hitting the ground hard on his back so that he made an imprint in the soft grass.

"Your goal," said Snape tonelessly as Lucius groaned in pain and pulled his knees to his chest to relieve some of the impact from his back and tailbone, "Is not to harm the individual delving into your mind, but to simply push them out. Of course, this goal cannot be obtained until you learn to direct the intruder in the direction of your choosing. You must steer, Lucius, and at the moment, I am afraid that you are a very poor driver."

Still winded on his back, Lucius pointed his wand at Snape, but Snape deflected the hex, almost lazily.

"Close your mind, Lucius. Direct me where you wish me to go. _Legilimens!_ "

Lucius clawed at his temples, hoping to force Snape out by grabbing onto him as if his presence were a tangible thing existing in Lucius's head.

"You cannot rid yourself of me by willpower alone. You have to have the confidence that you possess the skill."

A look of horror claimed Lucius's face and Remus saw the change in his posture. He was on the defense now, determined not to let Snape any further into the memory the latter had just accessed.

"The more personal the memory, the stronger you resist. You have made it known that this is something you do not wish me to see, so substitute it. Replace it with a memory that you can conjure that does not exist. Make me believe a lie, Lucius."

"Don't look at that," huffed Lucius. "That's private. If you're trying to help me as my friend, don't try to access things that don't concern you."

"Our friendship cannot be present if you are to succeed. You must act as if I am the Dark Lord and you wish to guard everything from me. Now concentrate, or I may stumble on something far more secret."

"Get out," Lucius panted, finding his feet even as his eyes rolled over. Remus was behind him, ready to catch him should he fall, for the last thing they needed was to report back to Dumbledore that Lucius had cracked his skull open during his first training session.

"Take charge of your own mind," said Snape, his voice rising to be heard over Lucius's pleas.

"Get out!"

"Then remove my presence."

Lucius threw his wand to the ground, took an ungainly step forward, and then another and another until he stood before Snape, though Remus wasn't sure if Lucius was entirely aware of how close he was to Snape. Reaching out a blind hand, Lucius grabbed Snape's cloak and as his fingers closed around it, he growled, " _Enough_!"

Snape dislodged Lucius's grip and then motioned at Lucius's fallen wand. "Admirable though it may seem in disarming yourself, you cannot rely on your physical being coming to your rescue. Maintain your grip on your wand, if only to prevent yourself from dropping it."

Lucius did as instructed, but as Snape made to attack again, he blocked the spell. He was still heaving and his clothes were sticking to him in cold sweat, but he seemed completely aware of himself and there was a no-nonsense look to him as he confronted Snape. "No, we're not going to continue until we set some ground rules, one of which is that you will show me some respect in not invading my privacy. Dumbledore told you to help me, not—whatever this is. If my progress in the past thirty minutes displeases you, then sort out your issue with it elsewhere, not by taking it out on me. And you will not talk down to me or try to intimidate me like I'm one of your students. I've suffered through much these past months—"

"I thought I made it clear that I will not be tolerating your whinging," began Snape, but flame burst from the tip of Lucius's wand and the former blonde thundered, " _You're going to tolerate it until you've shown me some goddamn respect!"_

Moved to silence by Lucius's outburst, Snape cocked an eyebrow to let Lucius know he was listening, but Remus crept closer, preparing to intervene to separate the two if he needed to.

"I have served a sentence in Azkaban and as little as that means to you, it did lasting damage on me. Dumbledore had you retrieve me because he foresees that I will be of some use to the Order in the future and that my son has a part to play as well. That means that I have something to be lost in this war and I would appreciate it if the fact that you don't doesn't get in the way of these lessons. I've not done proper magic in eight months and the fact that I can summon any at all should be satisfactory enough, even for you who sets your standards to impossible heights. But I will not be treated this way, thrown to the ground and tormented while you lecture standing over me. I will do everything within my power to achieve perfection in blocking my mind, but I promise you, if you continue to push me like this at this rate, you're going to destroy my mind before I get a chance."

Remus had to admire Lucius's stance on Snape's methods. They were indeed unnecessarily cruel and in the past half hour, Remus's opinion that Lucius deserved it had changed significantly. The man's body and mind had taken a brutal beating, but his devotion to the protection of his family, his need to not fail again, made him return to the source of his pain.

"Do we have an understanding, Severus?"

Snape did not agree to Lucius's terms, but neither did he revoke them. He gestured at Lucius's chest instructively.

"The emotion you used to push me out was hurt, pain that you were being subjected to such treatment from someone you considered your equal. It was humiliating to be belittled in such a manner, something I trust you are aware that you have a habit of doing to others."

"Heed your own advice, Severus," called Remus, and Lucius spun around, startled to see Remus so close to him when Remus was almost positive that Lucius had forgotten he was there.

 _It was not I who did the bullying, Lupin._

Remus heard Snape's voice in his head and gave a small start, for he had never before sampled such a skill from a skilled Legilimen.

 _You are even less accomplished at this than Lucius and your opinion, therefore, counts for naught. Do not interfere again._

Remus longed to shoot a scathing remark back at Snape, but it was true; he didn't know the first thing about breaching one's mental walls or defending his own, so how could he expect to communicate telepathically with Snape? The more he watched Snape drill Lucius, the less he wanted to participate in learning the skill himself, but he knew that it was an essential skill to have, especially if faced with the likes of Voldemort—or Snape's own unrestrained mind.

And so he watched Lucius stumble, shout, and swear as the day dragged on. At times he would be able to hold Snape off for a moment or steer him away from an undesirable memory, but he had not yet been able to summon a false memory, nor could he completely throw Snape out of his mind. He insisted only on three minute breaks every hour and for someone as pampered and well to-do as he, Remus expected more fussing. But the man was adamant about making some type of progress and though Snape reserved his criticisms, he was still relentless so that Remus could smell the stench of a day's hard work coming off of Lucius before he was even in sight when Remus left them temporarily to relieve himself in the bushes some distance away.

Finally, Snape called the session to a halt and Lucius sank down into the flattened grass, kneading at his temples. His dyed hair had curled into long, wavy strands in the humidity, but the look suited him far better than his normal precision-cut blonde hair.

"We'll escort you back to the cottage before we leave," said Remus, but Lucius gazed up at him, flinching as an after-effect of having his mind infringed every time he made eye contact in the past seven hours.

"Would you be kind enough to demonstrate the Patronus charm for me once before we return?"

It was a question asked in earnest, and Remus knew that he would eventually have to teach Lucius anyway, but this man was still very much an enemy in Remus's eye and he could not help resenting him. Snape had spoken of belittling others and Remus knew that if he were to present his Patronus, Lucius would have a comment on its corporeal form, even if he kept it to himself.

"If it's too much to ask-"

"It isn't. I'm merely wondering why Dumbledore asked me, of all people, to teach you."

"Dumbledore obviously seemed to think you were up to the task."

"I don't pretend to be an expert in any type of magic, but Dumbledore recognizes that I can nearly always present my Patronus where others can't."

"Surely that indicates an advanced level of magic?"

"No, it only means that I've been able to present my Patronus during the deepest form of natural depression, so conjuring it in the presence of a dementor is hardly any more difficult. How does one call upon it when so little happiness exists? By storing those select few happy memories in a place where the dementors can't access them: in your anger."

 _Sirius is dead largely in part of this man on his knees in front of me and here I am teaching him, helping him, allying myself with him. Would you approve of that, Sirius?_

And Remus saw his friend, strutting about the halls of Grimmauld Place, singing carols as visitors began to trickle in. He was alive again, happy…

 _"Expecto Patronum_."

He saw the timber wolf emerge from his wand, silver and sleek with its eyes whited out. It cast a glance back at Remus, recognizing him as its master—and its friend. Remus didn't let it stay, slashing his wand down through the air to sever his connection with the magic. He turned to Lucius who was gazing after the place the wolf had disappeared with a natural curiosity to his face.

"Expecting a werewolf, were you?" challenged Remus before Lucius could get the question out.

"No, but its form clearly does mean something to you. I've seen the Patronuses of the Azkaban guards, asked them what correlation they see between themselves and their forms, and I've tried to understand. A werewolf is something you despise and fear, so it would make little sense if your Patronus took that shape. But a wolf is something different."

Lucius's curiosity and research into the subject surprised Remus, as did his next question.

"What would you imagine my Patronus would be, if I ever managed to conjure one?"

Thinking of the pictures he had seen in the _Prophet_ of Lucius's house and the luxurious decorations that adorned it, Remus answered, somewhat jokingly, "A peacock."

He thought he saw the ghost of a smirk appear on Lucius's lips, but a moment later, it was gone as Snape returned from sending a message to Dumbledore via Patronus himself.

"If you've quite finished," he said irritably.

Gathering up his wand, Lucius stood and followed Snape back towards the cottage, leaving Remus to wonder if he needed a reassessment of this man.


End file.
